Oahu Local Custom Tips by AKtravelers Top 5 Page for this destination

Boom!! Fireworks for New Years!

Nowhere in the United States have I ever seen more fireworks blown off for New Year's Eve than Hawaii. My first experience was for the the last day of 2006 when I had to drive from Kailu to Hawaii Kai for a party. Waimanalo was like a war zone, with locals firing mortars at the Koolau from the middle of the street! It was like I was driving the western front in Ypres. And then when I arrived at the party on a ridgetop overlooking Diamond Head, I got a birds-eye view of all the neighborhoods blowing off rockets and arials. These weren't mere sparklers, these were high-powered explosives! Soon, the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Kahala Town Center and Aloha Tower started their midnight displays -- combined with the neighborhood pyrotechnics I felt like George Bernard Shaw of CNN declaring that the air war had begun in Baghdad. Hawaiians love their fireworks!

Aloha Shirts = Business Attire

Hawaii is one of the most casual places in the United States and for almost all dress-up occassions, aloha attire is acceptable -- even de riguer. This includes weddings, business meetings, fancy dinners out, etc. Often for formal affairs, the invitation will call for "crisp aloha" which means dressy pants (rather than just dockers) and a tucked-in upper-end aloha shirt.
This is hard for visitors from the Mainland to grasp. Despite my insistence, many of my business partners still show up in jackets, dres shirts and ties. Some even persist in this behavior through multiple visits, though eventually they give in. Almost no one who works here lasts in Mainland clothing very long. There's something nice about not having to wear a tie to work!

Lei's: For Greetings or Honors

Many of you who arrive at Honlulu International Airport will be greeted with a lei (a ring of flowers, nuts or other vegetation), be it by a tour group company emp[loyee or (better yet) a thoughtful friend. Leis are a traditional Hawaiian welcome, and they come in flowery assortments that are for female, male or either sex. Additionally, if you get an award or promotion, it is typical for a lei to be bestowed upon you. In my opinion, this is a great tradition!

Body Art is Very Common

It was the Polyneasians that invented the tatoo so it shouldn't be surprising that body art is very common in Oahu. I am definitely in the minority when I bring my unpainted body into the gym in Kaneohe. Most people, regardless of age, have some sort of tatoo on their bodies -- actually most people have more than one. If you're of the mind that tatoos are worn only by sailors and social misfits, you'll have to reassess that when you come to Oahu.

King Kamehameha and His Legacy

King Kamehameha I is the monarch who united the Hawaiian islands. At least that's the simple way of looking at it though the history is a bit more complicated. In any event, because of this feat he is revered by Hawaiians in much the same way that George Washington is looked upon in Virginia.

Christmas on Oahu

For someone from a cold climate, Christmas on Oahu can seem strange. For our entire lives, we've associated Christmas with short days, cold, snow and ice (usually in all their positive connotations), so it was really hard to get in the spirit when we first arrived. And, with all this great sunshine, who wants to duck in a mall and go through the drudgery of Christmas shopping? But it gets more bizarre. First was the Christmas music, which is piped in everywhere, still consisted of the old northern standards -- "Let it Snow"; "White Christmas" "Walking in a Winter Wonderland", etc. Hearing those songs in Hawaii was jarring. Then came the lawn decorations: blow up snowmen and snowflakes. But wierdest of all was driving past a parking lot of a church which had trucked in some artificial snow for the kids to play in! It all seemed so very ... Canadian!
Don't enough Americans live in warm climates now that we can dispense with the association of snow with Christmas -- at least in those warm places? What does snow have to do with the actual celebration of Christmas anyway? Some day we ought to spend christmas in Australia to see how they do it.

Sunglasses for Dogs

As several beaches on Oahu are dog-friendly (especually Kailua Beach), more people are bring their dogs to enjoy the sand and surf. Yet, like humans, dogs eyes are sentive to the sun and if they get too much exposure they could end up with cataracts. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly common to see dogs with sunglasses. You can buy them in the Ala Moana Mall, in Honolulu.

Street Performers on Kalakaua in Waikik

The main drag along Waikiki Beach, Kalakaua Boulevard, is a common place to see performance artists hoping that their behavior will earn them some money. As Kalakaua is the most touristy street on Oahu, it's not surprising that mimes, balloon artists and other tricksters are drawn there. I once saw a guy dressed entuirely in newspaper -- I wonder how much money he made. I usually make note of their presence and occassionally give them a dollar if they're good. I gave this guy a dollar because I took his photo (that only seemed fair) and he jerked suddenly when I put the money in his bucket, startling everyone, including me.

Flowers in Women's Hair

Women in Hawaii love to wear flowers in their hair, according to the customs observed across Polynesia. When a woman wears a flower behind her right ear, it means she is single, available and looking. When she wears a flower behind her left ear, it means she is married, engaged or otherwise taken. Of course, there are other ways to wear flowers, as exhibited by the woman in the attached picture who is wearing a headdress similar to what we saw in the Cook Islands. I have no idea what her status is.

Eddie Would Go

As you drive around Oahu, especially on the North Shore, you'll see vehicles (often beat-up pick-up trucks) sporting bumper stickers withthe words "Eddie Would Go". This is in tribute to Eddie Aikau, a native Hawaiian and pioneer big wave surfer from the 1970's. Not only did he win several big wave surfing events, but he was also the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay and known for his courageous rescues. It was said that he was fearless -- extra-high, extra rough surf may have caused others to stay home, but Eddie would go. Sadly, he died trying to save fellow passengers in a foundering boat off the coast of Lanai in 1978, but this sealed his legendary status among the hawaiian surfing community. Now the premier big wave surfing event of the year -- for which the world's top surfers travel to the North hore at the moment the waves are big enough is known as "The Eddie".
If you're interested in more of the story, you can buy the book "Eddie Would Go" anywhere on Oahu. It's a bit hagiographic, but it's an easy beach read and gives a good history of the sport of big wave surfing along the way.